


Dark Cloud

by edensgarden



Series: Starry Night [5]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Canon Related, Canon Universe, During Canon, F/F, Female Friendship, Female Titan Arc, Friendship, Friendship/Love, POV Female Character, POV Original Female Character, Panic Attacks, Reader-Insert, Suspicions, Titan Shifters, Titan Shifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23161549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edensgarden/pseuds/edensgarden
Summary: When Annie doesn't show up to meet you in the town center as promised, you can't ignore the bad feeling that awakes in your gut.You go to her room to check up on her to find her on her own - a shaking and bloody mess.What happened to Annie?
Relationships: Annie Leonhart/Reader
Series: Starry Night [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1644964
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	Dark Cloud

**Author's Note:**

> This is set up to be when the Female Titan was first spotted during the Survey Corps expedition outside the walls and after Annie returned after failing to capture Eren.

The spraying of the water from the fountain and into the small pool filled the cool afternoon, the sounds of the people scurrying along to finish their daily chores accompanying it calmly.

Tapping your feet impatiently on the ground, you lifted your head to gaze at the city clock a bit further ahead. You were supposed to have met with Annie two hours ago and you couldn’t help the feeling of dread clawing its way from the pit of your stomach.

This was unlike her. Annie was never late.

She had told you that she would come to the town center to meet with you after finishing a mission she had been entrusted with by her superior - one that wasn’t without risks she had said, but she was confident she’d do a good job. She had promised she would return safely. To you.

Where was she?

Could something have-

_No way._

Annie was strong. Annie was _really_ strong.

Still… You thought to yourself as you pushed yourself up from the bench, your hands balled into nervous fists, _I have to make sure she’s okay._

Straightening your shoulders, you braced yourself before lifting your arm to hover your fist in front of the door. Your heart was resounding in your ears – why were you so anxious and worried?

You gulped, trying to rid yourself of the desert that your throat had become and knocked firmly.

One minute passed.

Two.

Three.

You furrowed your brows, wondering if it would be too much to go to her superior to ask about her whereabouts when suddenly the door creaked open. Your eyes widened and you slammed the door open when you saw a tuft of blonde hair and tired blue eyes peek out from within.

“Annie!”

Rushing inside, your jaw slackened at her state. She was drenched in sweat, her entire body covered in bruises and dried blood. You slapped your hand over your mouth to hide your sharp intake of breath – she looked absolutely horrendous.

Her posture was that of someone who had run a marathon and she looked much smaller than usual, slightly shivering in spite of herself.

“What the hell happened? Annie, are you okay? What- “

You couldn’t stop the concerned words pouring out from your lips, your hands clumsily patting all over her body to assess if she had any injuries that required immediate attention and care.

She didn’t respond to you, her gaze empty and fixed on the mirror behind you. Her blue eyes glimmered the longer she looked at herself, tears pooling in the corner with her brows threatening to touch.

“No,” you started, unsure yourself what you were trying to stop her from doing, but it just felt right, “No, Annie.”

You took her face between your hands, noticing the messy patches of mud clinging onto her skin. Did she get into a fight with someone?

_No… Impossible…_

Annie was far too strong to get beaten up like this… Just what in the hell had happened?

You stroked along her jaw with your thumbs, your eyes urgent and filled with the concern you were unable to voice out. Your throat felt constricted, your heart squeezing painfully at the sight of your best friend looking so small and vulnerable.

And then something happened.

Something inside Annie broke loose, causing her to hiccup loudly, followed by gut-wrenching sobs wrecking her body as the tears refused to stop falling. She raised her hands to wipe at her eyes helplessly, trying to pry her face from your hands.

You felt your own eyes stinging, your mind racing with scenarios as to what might have caused for Annie to break down like this. Your body moved on its own accord when you took her into your arms, placing your hand reassuringly on the back of her head and pressing her against your chest.

“It’s okay, “ You whispered, your shoulders shaking from your own panic, “It’s okay, it’s going to be okay. I’m right here.”

Wanting nothing more than to be the pillar of strength for the girl who had been your hero for the past three years, you reached deep within yourself to calm down for her sake.

_For her sake. Breathe ______, breathe._

“It’s okay, Annie, it’s okay now,” Her tears were wetting the front of your shirt, but you couldn’t care less right now - your only and sole intention to help Annie through what you presumed to be some sort of panic attack.

The sounds of her struggle to breathe properly pulled at every single one of your heartstrings, but now was not the time to lose your cool.

_Annie needed you._

For the first time in three years, it wasn’t you who needed comforting or the warmth of a friend.

It was Annie.

“I’m here.“

“You’re here.” She whispered back, her arms going around shakily to hug you closer by the waist.

It was the first time in three years that she had taken you in her arms on her own accord.

Out of nowhere, a seething rage boiled from the pit of your stomach. You grinded your teeth, promising yourself that you would find the people who brought Annie to this state.

And when you found them… They better pray to god that you wouldn’t.  
You gripped onto her tighter, tilting your head slightly to lay a soothing kiss on her temple.

Unbeknownst to you, the beating of your heart reached her ears and pulled her back into the here and now, allowing her to be present in the moment and feel all of her emotions fully.

“It’s okay,” You repeated inaudibly, closing your eyes and allowing her to unleash all of what she had been storing inside.

You stroked Annie’s soft hair and watched her now peaceful expression, her eyes closed as she laid sideways in a fetal position. After what felt like hours, Annie had finally managed to calm down, cold and shivering between your arms and with much effort you had managed to carry her to her bed.

There was no hiding the fact that she had been dirty and in dire need of a bath, but with the state she had been in, there had been no way you could have possibly persuade her to leave her room. You had grabbed several sponges from the nurses station and cleaned her as much as possible from her bed.

Helping her change her uniform to her nightgown, you had managed to tuck her in, slowly covering her still shaking body with her blanket.

Now she was fast asleep, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, her brows no longer furrowed and her lips agape to reveal soft breaths.

“Who did this to you, Annie?”

You dropped the sponge you had been holding onto, watching it roll under the bed. Standing up from your chair, you got on your knees and bent down to reach beneath and grab it back when your fingers grazed a stiff material.

_Huh?_

Curious, you curled your fingers around it and grabbed onto it, pulling it out from under the bed. Your eyes widened in disbelief when you noticed the emblem on the long loose green cape.

_Survey Corps?_

Lifting your other hand to stretch out the material on the ground in front of you, you raked your eyes in confusion over the dried blood stains on the edges, noticing the rifts and muddy patches.

_What was the cape of a Survey Corps uniform doing under her bed?_

You snapped your head back to the sleeping form of your best friend, remembering that just a mere few hours ago, she too had been bloody and muddy.

_No…_

You gulped, lowering your eyes to the blue and white wings beaming up at you.

_There has to be some kind of explanation…_

Annie would never keep any secrets from you.

You were her best friend.

There had to be some sort of explanation where she had acquired such an item.

Reiner.

Or Bertholdt.

There had to be some reason.

_Speaking of…_

What was that very important mission Annie had to carry out today?

_No, no, no…_

You shook your head, refusing to let the seed of doubt plant itself into your heart.

Annie wouldn’t.

Your breathing sped up, the adrenaline soaring through your veins as one question mark after another popped in your mind – each one leaving you to feel more and more uneasy.

You gripped onto the fabric tighter, feeling the entire world weigh on your shoulders as you meekly twisted your narrowed eyes to look at Annie.

Your best friend.

The girl that made your heart beat faster and your soul feel at ease.

_Annie._

What was she keeping from you?


End file.
